Struggling in New York
by emeraldgirl503
Summary: A story about Klaine. Married and living in New York, Kurt and Blaine aren't exactly living the lives they always dreamed. Will their career dissatisfaction lead to too much tension in their relationship?
1. Chapter 1

Kurt glanced up from his laptop as Blaine walked through the door. "You're late, again," he said, with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Sorry," Blaine replied as he took off his coat and hung it on the stand next to the door. "The guys and I got caught up and lost track of the time." He sat down on the couch across from Kurt, his eyes still shining brightly with the light of a post-performance high. "The crowd was just so awesome, though. They loved us, Kurt. When I started singing-"

_They always love you, _Kurt thought bitterly. "Great. That's great, Blaine," Kurt interrupted, closing his laptop and setting it on the table. "Well, now that you're home, I'm going to bed." Kurt stood and walked toward the small hallway that led to the bedrooms.

Blaine's face fell. "Kurt—" Kurt paused in the doorway and looked back. Blaine was making one of his eager, adorable puppy faces, which Kurt always found hard to resist. "Come on, can't we talk for a little while? I feel like I never get to see you anymore."

"Well, maybe if you started getting home before 2 AM, we could spend more time together. But unlike you, I have a regular job, and I'd like to try to get at least a little sleep before work. The baby monitor's in the corner."

Blaine sighed as Kurt left the room, then reached for the baby monitor to turn down the volume. Kurt always kept it so high in case he dozed off. A few months earlier, Blaine had woken to the sounds of their daughter's soft cries, and had easily rocked Olivia back to sleep. When he mentioned it to Kurt the next morning, Kurt had been horrified that he had slept through it, and since then had refused to go to bed until Blaine, the lighter sleeper, got home.

Blaine was too awake to go to bed yet. Performing with his band always gave him too much energy. He used to work it off with Kurt when he got home, but lately there hadn't been any of that. Tucking the baby monitor in his pocket, he walked down the hallway. The door to the master bedroom was cracked open, but Blaine could see that the light was already off. Blaine instead turned into the door to his left, where their daughter was peacefully sleeping in her crib. A shaft of moonlight coming through the small window illuminated her face, which looked angelic in sleep. Blaine leaned down and kissed their daughter gently on the cheek, then sat down in the small rocking chair in front of the window.

As he rocked gently and listened to the quiet, steady breathing of their sleeping daughter, Blaine's eyes wandered the room, catching on the framed picture on the dresser. In it, he and Kurt beamed at the camera, while their newly adopted daughter slept in Kurt's arms. Had it really been only six months ago that Rachel had taken that picture of them bringing home their newborn baby from the hospital? It seemed like years had passed. Six months ago, Blaine had just gotten a big break in a tiny, independent off-Broadway production, and Kurt, who was working as a high school drama teacher at a nearby prep school, had just finished his first musical and was planning on finding an agent to send it to production companies. Since then, the little production had run out of funding and the play had been cancelled, so Blaine was back to just working occasional gigs with his band, while Kurt hadn't even been able to find an agent who was willing to read his musical.

Blaine could tell Kurt was unhappy. This wasn't what either of them had dreamed of back in Ohio. By age 30, both of them were going to be wildly successful artists, performing on the stage every night and living the lives of stars. Instead, they were living in a tiny apartment, on a fairly tight budget, just two more struggling artists in a city full of people just like them, with big dreams and small chances.

Blaine sighed and looked back at his sleeping daughter. They had saved for years to get to this point, and finally they had felt they were ready to adopt. Although he wasn't making waves in the performance world, Blaine was satisfied with his life. At the end of the day, his husband and his daughter were all he needed to be happy. If only he could get Kurt to open up to him…


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt tossed and turned on the queen-size mattress. Although he hated to admit it, after all these years together, he always found it hard to fall asleep without Blaine next to him. He had heard Blaine moving around the apartment, but it sounded like he had gone into Olivia's room, something he had started doing lately at night.

Kurt rolled over and looked at the clock. 2:32 AM. It looked like he was going to need a lot of coffee to get through the day tomorrow. While his students were mostly pretty great kids, it took a lot of energy to get teenagers enthusiastic about the dramatic arts first thing in the morning. It didn't help that Kurt had never been much of a morning person himself.

Kurt smiled to himself, remembering the early days of their marriage, when he and Blaine had both been working all sorts of crazy hours to make ends meet. Their schedules had been inconsistent, so some mornings they would both be up early, while other mornings just one of them would have to work. On the mornings when Kurt woke up after Blaine, Blaine would always leave him teasing notes near the coffee maker, like, "It was nice not having to make enough coffee for ten people this morning," or, "Nobody was snapping at me over breakfast this morning – I missed you," or just a random doodle, usually of Kurt sleeping and snoring. Sometimes, if Kurt had to wake up first, Blaine would set his cell phone alarm to go off very quietly before Kurt's and sneak out of bed to turn on the coffee maker for Kurt. Since Kurt was a heavy sleeper, Blaine was always able to get up and back in bed without waking Kurt, and Kurt was always pleasantly surprised.

Kurt's favorite mornings, though, were the ones where they both had to get up around the same time. Blaine was an all-day person – morning, afternoon, evening, he was always full of energy. In the mornings, while Kurt grumbled around like a crotchety old man, Blaine was like an inexhaustible puppy, full of smiles and laughter and enthusiasm. Kurt would always gripe and mumble under his breath as Blaine bopped around the apartment, singing cheesy pop songs as he got ready for work. Although he constantly complained about Blaine's unnatural cheerfulness in the mornings, Kurt had loved those mornings. His day always seemed a little brighter when he started it with Blaine, and though he would never tell Blaine, Blaine's enthusiasm and energy were contagious, and woke Kurt up far better than any cup of coffee ever could.

Lately, though, Blaine and Kurt had been on opposite schedules. Blaine's gigs were almost always at night (though his cheesy pop cover band was also popular at bar mitzvahs and Sweet Sixteens, which were sometimes a little earlier on the weekends). Depending on when and where Blaine's gigs were, they sometimes were able to eat dinner together, but since adopting their daughter, dinners had become very Olivia-focused, especially since Kurt compulsively watched Olivia eat after reading an article about babies choking.

He and Blaine seemed to have lost their unity, their Klaine-ness, as Rachel had often referred to it, and Kurt knew it was mostly his fault. He had stopped communicating with Blaine, and become almost obsessively focused on their daughter. It didn't help that – and he hated to admit it, even to himself – he was jealous of Blaine. Maybe Blaine hadn't gotten his big break yet, but Kurt knew it was just a matter of time. Blaine was amazingly talented, and he was out there performing all the time. One day, someone important was going to see one of his shows, and realize that Blaine was a star. Kurt, on the other hand, had already realized how ridiculous his dreams were. It should have been obvious to him back in high school, when Blaine had gotten the role of Tony in _West Side Story_, but it had taken him a couple years after college to realize nobody was really looking for a leading man like Kurt Hummel-Anderson. Although Blaine had told him not to give up, Kurt had accepted that he wasn't likely to be a big star, so he had shifted his dreams and channeled his talents into writing. It was around the same time that he had decided it was time to stop working a series of part-time jobs, so when he had heard about an opening at the prep school, he had jumped on the opportunity.

Kurt checked the clock again. 2:56. Sighing, Kurt rolled back over and closed his eyes, hoping sleep would come soon.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey! How was work?" Blaine asked as Kurt entered the apartment the next afternoon. He was sitting on the blanket he had stretched across the living room floor, with their daughter nestled between his legs.

"Fine," Kurt answered. "Do you have a gig tonight?"

"Nope, I'm all yours," Blaine said with a seductive look on his face.

Kurt looked away from Blaine to their baby, and Blaine felt like he had been kicked. "Do you mind watching Liv for a few hours while I go get some of the groceries we desperately need?"

"Not at all," Blaine answered cheerfully. "Or I can go to the store if you tell me what we need."

Kurt shook his head as he sat down across from Blaine on the blanket. "It'll take you twice as long. You don't know where anything is in the store because you never go."

"That's not true. I've gone grocery shopping before," Blaine argued teasingly.

Kurt looked up at Blaine and gave him a skeptical look. "Really? When's the last time you went?"

Blaine thought for a few seconds, then grinned. "Okay, so I don't remember, but that doesn't mean I don't go," he said with a laugh.

Blaine's boyish smile, still as adorable as it was in high school, was hard to resist, and Kurt couldn't help but smile back. "That's something I haven't seen in a long time," Blaine said, his grin widening.

Kurt's smile disappeared. "What, my smile? Don't be ridiculous. I smile at Liv all the time."

"Okay, let me rephrase. That's something you haven't directed at me in a long time," Blaine clarified in a more serious tone.

Kurt made a sound of disagreement as he turned his attention back to their daughter. Blaine's frustration rose, but he said in a gentle tone, "Come on, Kurt, I know you're not happy."

Kurt lifted his head and looked at Blaine. "Well, of course I'm not happy. Do you see the life I'm living? This isn't where I wanted to be at 31. I never wanted to be a high school drama teacher. I had big dreams and big goals, and instead I've become Mr. Schue, trying to help other kids live the dreams I never accomplished. I've gotten nowhere I wanted to go in my life, Blaine."

"I know it's been frustrating for both of us—"

"Both of us?" Kurt interrupted. "Blaine, you're still living the dream, to some degree. You get to go out and perform almost every night, to crowds of adoring fans. Even if it's not the big time, at least you're on the path. I'm never going to get anywhere. I'm going to be stuck as a drama teacher the rest of my life."

"Kurt, if you want to do something else, do it. We're still young. You can still go after your dreams."

"No, I can't, Blaine. One of us has to be the responsible adult with the steady job."

Blaine felt stung by Kurt's barb, but he ignored it. "Okay, then we'll trade. I'll get a steady job, and you can go do something that you want to do. Pursue your dreams."

Kurt shook his head. "I'm not letting you sacrifice your dreams for me. You'll just end up resenting me in a few years."

"Like you resent me?" Blaine asked quietly.

Kurt looked down, but didn't respond. Blaine felt like he had been punched. Taking a few seconds to compose himself, Blaine finally said, "Kurt, all I want is for you to be happy. If that means I have to go back to being a singing waiter, or picking up a couple part-time jobs, so that you can follow your dreams, I'll do it. I love performing, but it's not nearly as important to me as you are."

"No," Kurt said emphatically. "I'm not going to step on your dreams in order to get somewhere. I'm not going to let you sacrifice what you love for me. I'll be fine."

Blaine's anger, which he had been keeping under control until now, exploded. "Damn it, Kurt, why are you shutting me out so much lately?"

"I'm not shutting you out, Blaine. Just because I don't share every single thought I have with you—"

"Kurt, you don't share _any_ thoughts you ever have with me anymore. Unless they're about Liv. Is that all we are anymore? Co-parents?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Blaine."

"I'm serious, Kurt. We used to talk all the time. I loved hearing what you were thinking and being let into you and being a part of you and your life. We used to be intimate—"

"Really? You're going to complain about our sex life now? It's not my fault you're never home when I am!"

Blaine's eyes were dark storm clouds of emotion. "I wasn't going to complain about our sex life. I meant intimate in the sense that we shared our lives, our thoughts, our worries, our problems. We were parts of each other's lives. I feel like I'm losing you, Kurt."

"Well, I'm sorry that my independence makes you uncomfortable, but we're not teenagers anymore. This isn't high school. I'm an adult, and I've grown up. I don't come running to you with all my little problems anymore, like I did when I lost the student council elections senior year. I can take care of myself. I don't need you, and I would think you would be glad that I've matured in the past 15 years, instead of wanting me to stay needy, dependent Kurt forever. Do you need the ego boost of me relying on you completely? Is that what this is?"

Blaine looked as if he had been struck. "You're kidding me, right?" He lifted Olivia, who hadn't completely mastered sitting by herself yet, and settled her in front of Kurt. Once he was sure Olivia wasn't about to fall over, he stood. "I'm going out. I'll be back around 7 to watch Liv while you go grocery shopping. Have a good evening." He stormed over to the front door, grabbed his coat, and marched out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days later, Kurt and Blaine still hadn't reconciled. The night of the big argument, Blaine had come home at exactly 7, as he had promised. When Kurt returned from grocery shopping, Blaine had pulled out the air mattress they hadn't used since hosting college visitors and set it up in the living room. The only words either of them had spoken since then had been related to Olivia's care. Otherwise, they might as well have been two strangers sharing an apartment.

Since it was a Saturday, Kurt decided to go visit Rachel. Like Kurt, Rachel had graduated from NYADA with big dreams, but unlike Kurt, she had actually accomplished them. She had quickly made a name for herself on Broadway, and then branched into movies and television. Although she spent a lot of time in LA for work, she preferred New York, and she owned a spectacularly fabulous penthouse apartment right near Central Park. Although her successes had led to a very busy life, she and Kurt were still very close, and if she was in town, it wasn't unusual for them to spend days together.

After sending Rachel a quick message to make sure she was free, Kurt headed into Olivia's room, but stopped in the doorway. Blaine was sitting on the floor playing with some silly toy. Kurt couldn't tell who was having more fun, his husband or his daughter, and his heart ached as he watched. Clearing his throat, Kurt stepped into the room. "I thought I'd take Liv out for the afternoon, to visit Rachel."

Blaine shrugged. "That's fine. I was thinking of doing some songwriting this afternoon anyway, before my gig tonight."

Kurt leaned down to pick up Olivia, and his hand brushed Blaine's leg. A wave of longing so intense swept over him, but he ignored it and focused on getting his daughter ready for the cold winter temperatures outside. He heard Blaine stand behind him. When Blaine didn't seem to move, Kurt looked over his shoulder and gave Blaine an inquisitive look. "Did you need something?"

Blaine shook his head, as if waking from a trance. "Sorry," he said, his voice raspy. "No. Um… just… don't forget her hat."

"I won't," Kurt said softly, his voice choked with emotion.


	5. Chapter 5

Blaine sat in the kitchen after Kurt and Olivia left, finishing his sandwich. He had a gig later at a company Christmas party, but he didn't really feel like thinking about set lists or cheerful holiday music. He and his band had been working together a long time – they could easily wing it tonight. Plus, he had heard there was an open bar, which meant it was unlikely anyone in the crowd would even notice if the music was a little off.

Blaine shuffled back into the living room and looked around their empty apartment. Here it was, two weeks to Christmas, and he and Kurt hadn't put up any decorations yet. They always used to hang them Thanksgiving weekend, but this year, after they had returned from Ohio, Olivia had come down with a cold, and they had been far too distracted and tired to think about hanging lights or setting up the tree.

Blaine thought back to the previous weekend, when he had woken late on Saturday to find Kurt sitting in the living room, with Olivia nearby in her little baby swing, rocking gently back and forth. Kurt was singing along quietly to the Christmas music in the background. All around him were scattered magazine photos from home decorating magazines, and he had his laptop perched on his crossed legs, typing furiously. "Blaine!" he had said excitedly, his eyes lighting up. "I think I found us the perfect color scheme for our Christmas décor this year! I was flipping through the channels, and I found this episode about extreme Christmas decorations, and obviously they were all ridiculous, but there was this one house where they had these teal and fuchsia ornaments instead of red and green, and I mean, it makes sense – red and green are _so _overdone, and…"

Kurt had stopped when Blaine started laughing. "What?" he had asked.

"Nothing," Blaine said, fighting to keep the laughter inside. "Did you breathe at all during that speech?"

Kurt had bitten his lower lip and shrugged, and Blaine had flashed back to the teenage boy who had sat on his bed 14 years ago and worried that he wasn't sexually exciting enough for Blaine. "Sorry, I get carried away," Kurt had replied simply.

"You're adorable," Blaine had responded, sitting on the floor across from him and giving him a quick kiss.

Kurt had just smiled, then said, "So, I found these great teal and fuschia ornaments on the Target website, so I thought we could go on a little outing, get the ornaments and maybe some other stuff, and then maybe grab lunch somewhere fun?"

"Oh, Kurt, that sounds so fantastic, but we've got an early afternoon gig, so the guys and I are meeting up in like an hour to rehearse. Maybe tomorrow?" Blaine had said, wishing he didn't have to turn him down. He hadn't seen Kurt this excited in a long time, and he hated disappointing him.

Kurt's enthusiasm had died as if someone had let all the air out of a balloon. "Never mind," he said. "I already promised Rachel we could go Christmas shopping tomorrow. Well, that I would accompany her while she goes Christmas shopping," he clarified, since he had already dragged Blaine out at the beginning of November to get all their shopping done, with only a few "last-minute" purchases on Black Friday weekend.

Since then, neither of them had mentioned the decorations again, but Blaine knew how much Kurt loved Christmas decorations. Making a quick decision, he grabbed his keys and threw on a jacket. It was time this feud ended. Blaine was going to go to Target and buy those ornaments, and then tonight, when he got home from his gig, which shouldn't be too late, he was going to use them as a peace offering. Kurt obviously owed him a huge apology, but Blaine knew how stubborn and proud his husband was sometimes. However, if Blaine made a move to break the tension, Kurt would immediately become insanely apologetic. Or at least Blaine hoped…


	6. Chapter 6

Kurt watched as Rachel tickled Olivia's stomach. Olivia giggled, and Kurt couldn't help but smile. "You and Blaine officially have the most adorable child ever," Rachel declared.

Kurt's pride was written all over his face as he looked at his daughter. "I know," he replied.

Rachel played with Olivia for a few minutes, then turned her attention to Kurt. "Speaking of Blaine, where is he? At a gig?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, he has one later tonight, but right now he's home."

"Why are you here, then? You and Blaine barely ever get time off together. Shouldn't you be home with him?"

Kurt looked away. "Blaine and I had a slight disagreement the other night."

"So go home and fix it," Rachel said. "Things aren't going to resolve themselves if you're hiding out across town in my apartment."

"Rachel, it's not that simple."

"Oh, come on, Kurt. It's you and Blaine. You two are the most solid couple I've ever known. I'm sure it's not that bad—"

"I told Blaine I resented him," Kurt confessed.

Rachel's eyes went wide. "What?"

"And that I didn't need him."

"Wow," Rachel said, a look of total shock on her face.

"I might have also implied that he was just mad because he wanted me to stay dependent on him forever because it was good for his ego," Kurt finished.

"Whew," Rachel replied. "Well, you've always had a flair for the dramatic, Kurt Hummel-Anderson." Kurt let out a little half-laugh at that, and Rachel's face got serious. "Kurt, I'm worried about you," she said gently.

"What? Why would you be worried about me? And what does that have anything to do with my fight with Blaine?"

Rachel adjusted Olivia on her lap, then reached out one hand to touch Kurt's. "Kurt, you are my best friend, and I love you. We've been through a lot together – the bullying and teasing back in Ohio, our first year in New York, with me dealing with my breakup with Finn and you missing Blaine like crazy, the stress of classes at NYADA, the many times of doubt and fear that we weren't good enough and that we would never make it… and through it all, you were always so resilient. No matter how much crap life handed you, you always fought through it, with your indomitable spirit and unwavering self-confidence. Even when you stopped going on auditions all the time and took that job teaching, you seemed happy and at peace with your decision. You weren't giving up, you kept saying, you were just restrategizing, and I admired you for that.

"But in the last few months," she continued, "you've seemed so… defeated. It's like the real Kurt got replaced by this hopeless, unhappy, discontent Kurt. I didn't say anything at first, because the real Kurt was still making frequent appearances, and I figured you were just going through some stuff. Over time, though, those glimpses of the Kurt I know and love have become more and more rare. I think the scariest thing, though, is that I can't even think of the last time I heard you sing, and that's not like you at all."

Rachel paused for a minute, and then added, "Look, Kurt, I don't think you meant most of what you said to Blaine, and I'm betting, because he knows you even better than I do, that he doesn't think you meant most of it either. But I do think you at least partially meant that you resent him, and that's not healthy for your relationship. What's going on with you, Kurt?"

Kurt leaned his head against the back of the couch. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why not?"

"Because you've gotten everything you've ever wanted. You've never had a day of hardship in your life, Rachel. You wanted to get into NYADA, and you did. I got waitlisted, and it was the most agonizing month and a half of my life waiting to hear if I would get in. You wanted to be a big star, and three months after graduation, you got that big part on Broadway, and everything just fell into place. It's almost ten years after graduation, and I'm _nowhere_, Rachel," Kurt said angrily.

"I've gotten everything I ever wanted? Is that what you think?" Rachel shot back. "God, Kurt, I would give anything to be you sometimes. You and Blaine love each other. You're married to the man of your dreams, and you have a beautiful daughter together. The love of my life stayed in Ohio, married someone else, and has two beautiful daughters, from the pictures I've seen in your apartment. So don't tell me I got everything I ever wanted, Kurt Hummel-Anderson.

"And as far as your career goes, I've told you a million times that I am more than willing to help you, with anything. I've got contacts and connections that will get you anywhere you want to go. If you want to write musicals, I know plenty of people who I can put you in touch with, and if they won't do it, I'll finance it and we can just put it on ourselves."

"I know you're willing to help, Rachel, but I want to succeed based on my own talents, and not based on my connections," he explained.

Rachel gave him an annoyed look. "Kurt, I don't want to help you because you're my best friend. I want to help you because you are one of the most talented people I've ever met, and I think it's a complete shame that the rest of the world hasn't had the opportunity to discover that yet."

"You haven't even read my musical," Kurt protested. "Nobody has. All the agents I've talked to have told me they didn't accept musicals from no-name writers because the chances of any of them being worth their time was almost zero."

"So send me a copy, I'll read it, fall in love with it, because you're incapable of writing anything that's not incredible, and then help you make it a reality," Rachel said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. When Kurt opened his mouth to argue, Rachel held up a hand to cut him off. "Look, it's not like you've failed because tons of people have read your musical and hated it, and I'm pitying you and throwing a ton of money at something that's doomed to fail. The system is flawed, Kurt, and it's not your fault that there's a huge wall between you and where you want to go. I'm on the other side of the wall, Kurt, and I want to help you get there too, because it's where you belong. If you don't give me your musical, I'll tell Blaine to send it to me, but one way or another, we are making this happen. You might as well stop fighting me."

Kurt took a deep breath. "I don't know, Rachel…"

Rachel gestured at Olivia, who was happily banging two soft blocks against each other in Rachel's lap. "Okay, look at it this way. It's twenty years from now, and this beautiful little girl wants to follow in her fathers' footsteps and go into performing, but nobody will give her an audition because she's a nobody and therefore not worth their time. Are you telling me you wouldn't tell her to call me and ask for my help?"

Kurt had never thought about it like that. If Liv wanted to be an actress, though, he would absolutely tell her to use their connection to Rachel if it would help her get where she wanted to be. Why should the rules be any different for him?

"I got through to you, didn't I?" Rachel said proudly.

Kurt laughed. "Yes, you did."

"I'm the best best friend ever," she boasted. Then she sobered. "So what are you going to do about Blaine?"

"Well, obviously, I need to apologize," Kurt replied. He thought about it for a minute, then said, "And I have the perfect way to do it. Can you watch Liv for a while? Her diaper bag has enough supplies to last for a couple days, because I always panic that I'm going to get stranded somewhere in one of those _20/20_ special-worthy stories, so you should be fine."

Rachel grinned. "Absolutely. Now tell me about this plan…"


	7. Chapter 7

Blaine took a long drink of water. He and the band were almost done with their first set before they would take a short break. Everyone at the office party seemed to be enjoying their music and having a good time. The band had agreed on a set list that was a mix of holiday and classic dance/party music, and Blaine was having a great time.

Blaine put down his water and stepped back toward the microphone, signaling to the band that he was ready. To his surprise, instead of playing the next song in the set list, the band played the opening notes of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Blaine turned toward the keyboardist in confusion – he wasn't about to sing a duet with himself, and usually the other guys just sang backup. Who was taking the other lead on this? Alex, the keyboardist, just gave him a nod and a reassuring look.

As the intro to the song came to the end, Blaine heard footsteps on the stage behind him. Turning around, he was shocked to see Kurt, holding a microphone. "I really can't stay," Kurt sang.

Recovering quickly from his surprise, Blaine quickly raised his microphone and replied, "But baby, it's cold outside," his face breaking out into a huge smile.

Kurt smiled back. "I've got to go away…" he sang, walking closer to Blaine.

"But baby, it's cold outside," Blaine repeated, singing to his husband. He couldn't even remember the last time they had done this, but he missed singing with Kurt. They used to sing all the time in their apartment, even just as they were making a meal with the radio playing in the background. Kurt had always been his favorite duet partner, but lately Kurt hadn't been doing much singing. It was so nice to have him back.

As the final note of the song played, Blaine raised his microphone. "The incredibly talented Kurt Hummel-Anderson, ladies and gentleman," he said, gesturing to Kurt. After the applause died down, Blaine added, "We're going to take a fifteen minute break, and then we'll be back with more great music for all of you." Blaine then grabbed Kurt's hand and practically dragged him off the stage and out into the hallway.

The second they were out of sight, Blaine tugged on Kurt's hand, pulled him into his arms, and gave him a hard, passionate kiss, filled with all the pent-up sexual frustration of the past few months. Kurt kissed him back just as intensely, their tongues clashing and wrestling in a sensual battle.

When they broke apart, Kurt rested his forehead against Blaine's. "I'm so sorry, Blaine. I've been such an ass. I've just been so frustrated by my lack of success in my career, and I just know that any day now, you're going to become a wildly successful star, and I was worried I was never going to be anything but a high school drama teacher for the rest of my life, and I just felt like I was nothing."

"Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing, you are perfect to me," Blaine sang quietly.

Kurt laughed, thinking back to all the times they had sung that to each other in the car, especially back in high school. "I love you," he said, smiling at his husband. "And I'm sorry, again, that I've been shutting you out."

"I love you too," Blaine replied, giving him a quick kiss. "And I'm just glad to have you back."

After they had kissed again, this time a sweet, tender kiss that was full of so much love it almost made Kurt's heart burst, Blaine pulled away and grabbed Kurt's hand, leading him back toward the banquet room. "So where's Liv?" he asked. "And does it make me a horrible parent that it took me this long to ask?"

"Oh, absolutely. Worst parent ever," Kurt replied, then laughed. "She's with Rachel, for as long as we want her to be," he continued, shooting Blaine a seductive look.

Blaine groaned as he looked at the time. "Damn. Still two more hours before I can take you home."

Kurt scowled. "Excuse me? You take me home? I don't think so. I'll be taking _you _home in two hours."

Blaine held in a grin. "Oh, is that so? I guess we'll just have to see about that."


	8. Chapter 8

Later that night, Blaine lay in bed, Kurt snuggled up to his side. Their legs were tangled together, and their skin slightly sticky with sweat. Kurt had his right arm curled across Blaine's chest, his thumb lightly stroking back and forth. Blaine closed his eyes, feeling more content and peaceful than he had in months.

"Rachel said she'd help me get my musical produced," Kurt said.

Blaine turned his head to look into his husband's eyes. "Are you okay with that? I know you were really into the idea of making it on your own."

Kurt nodded, the tip of his nose rubbing against Blaine's. "She told me she's not doing it because she's my friend, but because she knows I'm talented, and when that didn't work, she asked me if it were Liv in my position, what I would tell her to do. And then I felt like an idiot, because of course I'd tell our daughter to ask Rachel for help if she needed it, and so… I'm going to send Rachel a copy of the musical, and if she likes it, she'll give it to a few of her producer friends."

Blaine gave him a sleepy smile. "She'll like it."

"That's what she said too," Kurt said. "And speaking of Rachel…"

"We should go pick up our daughter?" Blaine interrupted.

"Well, that, too," Kurt said, "but that's not what I was going to say. I think we should find a way to get her and Finn back together."

Blaine sighed. "Kurt, I know you're a romantic, but I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Kurt said, sitting up. "That car accident was almost two years ago. Finn's been single ever since. Rachel definitely hasn't gotten over him."

"They broke up for a reason, Kurt," Blaine countered.

"Yeah, a stupid one," Kurt answered. "Just because Finn didn't think he belonged in New York, he gave up his soulmate. They're both older now, and presumably wiser, and best of all, both single. I think they'll be able to figure something out." When Blaine still looked skeptical, Kurt made a face. "Come on, Blaine. If you were in either of their positions, wouldn't you want someone to get you back together with me?"

"I never would be silly enough to break up with you in the first place," Blaine said, sitting up and giving Kurt a kiss.

Kurt grinned. "That's because I would never let you. If you even tried, I would haunt you until you realized you were miserable without me. Then I would take you back, after an appropriate groveling period."

Blaine laughed. "I'm sure you would." Then he suddenly pulled away and stood up. "I almost forgot! I got you something."

"Oo, a present for me?" Kurt said excitedly.

Blaine ran out of the room, then came back carrying a Target bag.

"Wow, I love the wrapping job, Blaine. Very classy."

Blaine made a face at Kurt. "I can just take it back, you know, if the presentation doesn't meet your standards."

Kurt held out a hand. "Give it to me."

Blaine smiled and passed him the bag, then climbed onto the bed to sit next to him. "I thought so."

Kurt opened the bag and looked inside, then gasped. "You got my ornaments!"

"Mm-hm," Blaine replied. "And I know you didn't notice, because we were focused on other things when we got home, but I also dragged all of our Christmas decorations and the tree up from the storage unit in the basement. Maybe tomorrow we can put Liv in her swing, throw on some Christmas music, and finally decorate this place?"

Kurt threw himself at Blaine, or as best as he could considering they were sitting next to each other on the bed. Blaine's arms wrapped tightly around Kurt, in the same familiar embrace they had shared since high school. "I love you so much, Blaine," he whispered into his husband's ear.

Blaine squeezed him tighter. "I love you too, Kurt."

Kurt pulled away and stood. "Come on, let's go get our daughter, and then I'll bring you back here and show you again how much I love you."

"I like the sound of that," Blaine said, standing and grabbing his clothing off the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

When Rachel opened her door later, Kurt and Blaine stood on the other side, their hands linked, their smiles wide. "Aww, your plan worked," Rachel said happily.

"It did indeed," Blaine replied, with a wink at his husband.

Kurt let go of Blaine's hand as they stepped inside and reached for the sleeping baby cradled in Rachel's arms. "How was she?" he asked.

"Perfect, as always," Rachel said, handing her to Kurt.

Blaine leaned down and gave his daughter a quick kiss, then straightened. "Thanks again for watching her, Rachel."

"Anytime, absolutely anytime," she replied.

Kurt laid his daughter gently on the blanket Rachel had spread on the floor earlier, then carefully slid her jacket and winter clothes on

"Wow, she's a heavy sleeper," Rachel commented as she watched Kurt.

"Mm, like someone else I know," Blaine answered, walking around the apartment to gather up Olivia's things.

"Good thing, too, or I'd never sleep through your snoring," Kurt teased.

"I do _not_ snore," Blaine said emphatically. "Unlike you."

Kurt shook his head at Rachel and mouthed, "He's lying."

Rachel laughed. "It's so nice to have Klaine back."

"Ugh, hasn't the hybrid name trend passed yet?" Kurt griped.

"You love it," Rachel shot back.

Kurt rolled his eyes but didn't respond as he lifted the baby into his arms. "Okay, well, we should be going," he said, passing Olivia to Blaine and reaching out to give Rachel a hug. "Thank you again for everything. You're the best."

"I know," Rachel said with a grin. "I'll see you guys."

Blaine leaned over and gave Rachel a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Rachel."

Kurt leaned down and picked up the diaper bag that Blaine had left next to his feet and slung it over his shoulder. "Bye, Rachel."

"Don't forget to send me your script," she answered.

Kurt laughed. "I won't forget. Believe me." Then, wrapping an arm around his husband's waist, he turned for the door and headed for his apartment, to continue living his happily ever after.


End file.
